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KMID : 0892720180220030134
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Journal of the Korean Society of Maternal and Child Health
2018 Volume.22 No. 3 p.134 ~ p.141
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The Current State of Maternity Care and Suggestions for Improvement in the Management of High-risk Pregnancies in South Korea
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Ahn Tae-Gyu
Kim Tae-Yeon
Kim Yeon-Jin
Hwang Jin-Wook
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Abstract
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Since the year 2000, low birth rates have resulted in significant decreases to maternity care services throughout many Korean hospitals. However, there has been a concomitant increase in the number of high-risk pregnancies, due to growing trends in delayed marriages and subsequent pregnancies. Increased maternal age is a risk factor associated with complicated pregnancies and high-risk deliveries, both of which are strongly related to maternal death. With this in mind, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has supported the establishment of a regional perinatal center for high-risk pregnancies, estimated to be be fully completed by the year 2020. Despite this, maternity care services for high-risk pregnancies remain insufficient. According to previous reports, the total number of maternity care hospitals and beds available for high-risk pregnant women were 60 and 399, respectively. This is in stark contrast to previous bed estimates of 1,640. The establishment of a maternity care system for high- risk pregnant women is integral to ensuring optimal conditions for both pregnancy and childbirth. This review briefly evaluates the existing maternity care system for high-risk pregnancies, and proposes several new suggestions for improvements.
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KEYWORD
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safe childbirth, obstetricians, high-risk pregnancy, maternity care system
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